3D Print!
polycounter lvl 18
I gots a model printed!
Here's a shot of the 3D source - modelled in an evening to try out a printing machine.
Here's what got spat out. He's about 5 inches tall. Straight out of the machine, he's little rough around the edges and has an interesting surface quality, but it's solid ABS plastic, which means I can sand it down, paint it, melt it, do whatever the hell i want to... it's plastic. I was pretty pleased that it could handle the noodly arms and legs no problem.
Now, a question: I'm starting a business that would provide rapid prototyping, and I don't see why this couldn't include any 3D model you want made real. Would anyone be interested in this sort of thing? This is absolutely a prototype-quality print, but as I said you can class it up as much as you want, limited only to how much effort you're willing to put into it. I can easily get away with charging half of what's currently available on the market, perhaps less - I'm still working out exact pricing.
I figured since I'm going to be abusing the fuck out my machines to make everything I've ever modelled, why not open this up to the community? First step: seeing if there's even any interest.
Here's a shot of the 3D source - modelled in an evening to try out a printing machine.
Here's what got spat out. He's about 5 inches tall. Straight out of the machine, he's little rough around the edges and has an interesting surface quality, but it's solid ABS plastic, which means I can sand it down, paint it, melt it, do whatever the hell i want to... it's plastic. I was pretty pleased that it could handle the noodly arms and legs no problem.
Now, a question: I'm starting a business that would provide rapid prototyping, and I don't see why this couldn't include any 3D model you want made real. Would anyone be interested in this sort of thing? This is absolutely a prototype-quality print, but as I said you can class it up as much as you want, limited only to how much effort you're willing to put into it. I can easily get away with charging half of what's currently available on the market, perhaps less - I'm still working out exact pricing.
I figured since I'm going to be abusing the fuck out my machines to make everything I've ever modelled, why not open this up to the community? First step: seeing if there's even any interest.
Replies
i would defenitly be interested
The current prices I've seen on a lot of sites are still a bit steep for my liking (although the price is dropping still), so I'd be very interested in bringing business your way if you could provide quality prints at lower cost
Ive made some miniatures before, but used ultracal-30 for the mold and 2prt rubber for the casting material. I then had to paint the rubber with autobody paint, as a primer before i painted any final color texture onto it.
With abs its pretty much the same I think ya? are you priming it before you paint or can you paint directly?
Thats cool you can do that with abs, its so cheap!
If the prices were right I would definately get my next model printed out.
Yeah I'd be interested in getting something done by you.. I'd be your first Southeast Asian customer if I can get off my lazy ass and model
YES! Very interested, and I do believe if the price is reasonable there would be a huge demand for this.
definitely interested
And you know exactly what I'd print;)
mew?
B
Spark
P.S: Not trying to get mine for free, I would be happy to pay for a print, just thought it might be something cool to do, like a mini comp or such.
I'm testing various, easy ways to sand down the models to get them nice and smooth for a nicer finish. If I can polish them at my end cost-effectively I'd be all for it.
ae - i'm not sure if taking international orders will be complicated or not, but i'm sure we'd be able to work something out
oxy - you know, that's a sweet idea. i'd def be down.
microneezia - if you take the model straight out of the machine, you should be able to paint it no problem. if it's a super-smooth sanded work of art, you'll need to either apply an abs primer or rough it up a bit with steel wool. will conduct tests!
sir-knight - no glueing! you can make as complex a piece as you want. interlocking gears, spheres inside of solid spheres, whatever you want
glib - final pricing hasn't been decided yet, but the robot cost less than a video game
spark - you're right, and i was planning on getting you guys to submit a couple models of varying styles, polycount, detail etc. and printing them out for you, free or charge, so you guys can gauge the quality.
positive feedback is positive! i'll keep you guys updated
Wow, you weren't kidding on the competitive pricing, I'm planning on doing some sculpts as gifts, I'll keep you in mind!
FTW!!!
But fo' sh0'...I'm game!
Also, heres something I was thinking of;
If you have a 3D model or "positive" and maybe you are able to take that, and make a "negative" or mold from it, then the consumer can mass produce my own!
so take the 3D model - and sub-d 2 cubes for top and bottom of a 2 part mold - boolean the positive into the middle of both halfs (crude description as more thought needed to create a mold), Then print those 2 cubes as the mold. add the injection and flow holes, done~! - that would be amazing!
I havent seen this offered with other 3D printers, but I think all of them can easily do it. there has to be a market for this?
I want one anyway. I want more than one.
BUT, we're not quite ready to open the gates. Need to iron out a few things, get the website going, etc. Shouldn't be long now, though. If all goes according to plan, I'll have some cool stuff to show off soon.
Making molds is something we've definitely talked about - the others involved are big into custom vinyls and would love to be able to make short runs of characters [or environments...] That would be a bit down the road, however.
I'll be sure and update when there's news.
http://artofscottjonsson.com/hunter01.jpg
http://artofscottjonsson.com/hunter02.jpg
http://artofscottjonsson.com/black.jpg
if anyone wants an estimate on price, go ahead and send a .stl file to info@robotthecompany.com and we'll get back to you as quickly as possible.
http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/down...nter/zplugins/ - might come in handy.
max dimensions are 6x6x8 inches.
Also, what's the max polycount the machine can handle?
Micro, there are probably better ways to make a mold then to print the actual negative in 3D. Normally that involves coating your creation is some kind of silicone spray, and surrounding it in some kind of resin or plaster, normally half at a time. Then using that to make stronger negative for casting.
Depending on the material used I think you end up losing a bit of volume and your first print should be larger. At least that's how we did it when I worked At HO Sports and we made molds for water skis, wake boards and snowboards.
But now I can show off a nice little print we made with lots of high-detail, provided by polycount's very own katzeimsack (a.ka. Manuel Virks). I'm sure some of you will recognize the model.
Again, this is straight out of the machine. We'll be sanding down and cleaning up prints down the line for beauty shots and to show what's easily accomplished, but for now we want to be as transparent as possible and really let you guys see what you would be getting for your money.
Gird your loins for large images:
and I thought I'd throw this one in for kicks. AND AS A CAUTION.
this is what could happen to your beautiful model if it is plagued by STL errors or rat's nests of polys due to decimation algorithms. (btw, I am personally responsible for all errors in this model, not kats)
that is a large MANS HAND right there. this thing ain't no joke.
Answers to Questions:
Max Polycount: After a lot of trial and error, we've come to the conclusion that you'll want your models at about a million or less. That's not a hard limit, but at the resolution you probably won't need to go higher, anyways.
Max Print Size: A single object being printed cannot exceed 6x6x8 inches. If you absolutely need it larger, cut it into two prints and glue them together.
Min Thickness: Min thickness of material is .03", or .75 mm. half of shapeways
Hollow out the Model for Super Saving: No. I'll say that again, you cagey consumers. No. That is not how our machine works, and would end up costing you more. Our program is very good about conserving material where it can and using the bare minimum inside to maintain structural integrity.
How Much (Pricing): I wish I could give you guys a price point that would be easily translatable to whatever you're working on, but for an accurate quote you'll really need to ask us for an estimate, which we will gladly do whenever and on whatever at no charge.
For a quick estimate, we charge $9.30 a cubic inch (~$0.57 per cubic cm) for material used.
Why this isn't 100% accurate for you, the user: Your model is not solid. Our program hollows it out on the inside into a devious honeycomb in order to use as little material as possible. Our machine uses two kinds of material, the ABS Plastic you see and a support material which is later dissolved away.
That's great news!
Can you say how much it would cost to get something of that size / volume printed by you guys?